Department of Psychology, Positive Psychology Laboratory, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Psychol Health. 2011 Mar;26(3):269-85. doi: 10.1080/08870440903287926. Epub 2010 Feb 18.
Many existing models posit that cognitive processing style is an important factor affecting self-perceived positive changes. In this study, the effects of explanatory style (the manner in which people cognitively process and explain why they experience good and bad events) on both posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were examined among 90 Chinese women with breast cancer. It was found that explanatory style for good events, but not for bad events, was significantly associated with self-reported PTG. Women who attributed the causes of positive events to internal, global and stable factors tended to report more posttraumatic growth. In contrast, explanatory style for bad events, as opposed to good events, was significantly and positively correlated with PTSD symptoms. Among the three dimensions of explanatory style (internal, stable and global), the tendency to globalise the causes of good and bad events were the most important predictors of self-reported PTG and PTSD symptoms, respectively. While enhancing an optimistic explanatory style for bad events might reduce posttraumatic stress symptoms, cultivating an optimistic explanatory style for good events is likely to increase self-perceived positive changes after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
许多现有的模型假设认知处理风格是影响自我感知积极变化的一个重要因素。在这项研究中，我们考察了解释风格（人们认知地处理和解释为什么他们经历好的和坏的事件的方式）对 90 名患有乳腺癌的中国女性的创伤后成长（PTG）和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状的影响。结果发现，好事件的解释风格，而不是坏事件的解释风格，与自我报告的创伤后成长显著相关。将积极事件的原因归因于内部、全局和稳定因素的女性往往报告更多的创伤后成长。相比之下，坏事件的解释风格，而不是好事件的解释风格，与 PTSD 症状呈显著正相关。在解释风格的三个维度（内部、稳定和全局）中，将好事件和坏事件的原因普遍化的倾向是自我报告的 PTG 和 PTSD 症状的最重要预测因素。虽然增强对坏事件的乐观解释风格可能会减轻创伤后应激症状，但培养对好事件的乐观解释风格可能会增加乳腺癌诊断和治疗后自我感知的积极变化。
